


The Ties That Bind

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We profiled each other a long time ago.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ties That Bind

**Author's Note:**

> This is a take on Hotch and Prentiss seeing each other again if events had taken place in their pasts as they do in the [How Soon is Now](http://community.livejournal.com/lairofthemuses/tag/how%20soon%20is%20now) universe, which chronicles an intimate affair between the two of them while Hotch worked for her mother, the Ambassador. I also played with the Gideon/Prentiss universe Academy past as well. I’m just having some fun, throwing everything in the pot. Thanks to [](http://citymusings.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://citymusings.livejournal.com/)**citymusings** for the prompt during comment fic in my journal. Spoilers for The Last Word.

"Look, I don’t know how the paperwork got messed up but I know I belong in this unit. I’ve always wanted to be in the BAU and this is my opportunity."

"I didn’t request a replacement for Elle Greenaway." Hotch replied.

"How would I know that? I sent my paperwork in when the job came up and I was hired."

"Who hired you? I'm the Unit Chief of the BAU; I didn’t hire you."

“Would you have passed over my file for someone else? Is this about something more than not requesting a replacement for Elle Greenaway?” Emily asked. "Why are you interrogating me?"

"I'm not…"

"You are, Agent Hotchner. I haven’t seen you in almost 18 years and you just...damn you've changed."

"I..."

"See, the old Hotch at least knew how to complete sentences."

He smirked despite himself. Hotch sat down on his desk and looked at her. Her clothes were different, subtle and grownup, but Emily Prentiss was still absolutely beautiful. Her eyes sparkled full of life and hope. You had to look a lot deeper to see the pain. It was still there though, he was sure it would never go away.

He was also sure that he would always know how to find it and reach it. What the hell was she doing in his office? How did he not know she was in the FBI? He’d seen her mother about two years ago at some function or other and Emily hadn't even come up. Hotch thought that might have been purposeful on his part as well as Ambassador Prentiss’.

"18 years is a really long time. I can’t even get a hug?" She asked.

Emily got up from the couch and started moving toward him. His scent was in the air, it still did to her what it always did. That was probably one thing that was never going to change. He still looked the same, smelled the same, and talked the same. Yet he was different.

She didn’t like this man and that bothered her. Never was there a time, when they were together for so little time or apart for so long, that she didn’t like Hotch. What a difference a few hours made. Maybe if she could crash through the brick wall she might be able to touch the man she used to know. He had to still be in there.

"I'm married." Hotch held up both hands, showing his wedding ring.

"I know that. I just asked for a hug, Hotch. It's been so long; I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." He practically whispered, turning away from her when he said it.

"Then get up and give me a hug."

Hotch stood, came back around his desk, and put his arms around her. Emily relaxed in his arms and wrapped her arms around his back.

"This is going to be...complicated." He was whispering against her ear. It took all he had not to slip the lobe between his lips. It was instinctual and scary as hell. She smelled so good; his mind flashed back to so many nights in her arms, inside of her. Why was this happening now? What had he done to deserve this happening right now? Didn’t he have enough to deal with?

"It doesn’t have to be. I just came here to work, Aaron. This is my dream job; I didn’t come here to make trouble. I would never do that to you."

"Neither Jason nor I requested a replacement. I don’t know how we got a replacement without requesting one."

"All my paperwork is intact." Emily pulled away from him. Oh my God, it still felt the same. This might be more complicated than she thought. She knew she would do what she had to; these days Emily had much better control of herself and her emotions. “I don’t know what to say about the rest of it.”

"There's an empty desk in the bullpen for you." Hotch turned away from her. He focused on her transfer papers, which sat on his desk. "I'm going to look into this but while I do that, you can take that desk. Don't get too comfortable...this could be temporary."

"Fine." Her tone was clipped, he should know it well. "I'll just say this, I deserve this job, and I will prove it to you. I've earned my stripes in the FBI. You of all people should know I never take the easy road."

Aaron Hotchner wasn’t the same man. She didn’t know what happened to him and it seemed as if he was not interested in telling her. Emily was there to work, that's what she needed to focus on. Past loves and past lives were just that.

She wasn’t a needy 18 year old anymore, and he damn sure was not her knight in shining armor. The faster they both remembered that, the better off the whole team would be. She was the new girl and there would be enough to deal with there. It wasn’t as if Emily hadn't started over more than her fair share of times in life. She’d become very good at it. That didn’t mean it was something she wanted to do repeatedly anymore.

It was time to settle down and get comfortable. The BAU was where she wanted to do that. Hotch was the Unit Chief, his team followed his lead. Emily didn’t want to be judged before even getting out of the gate. Surely Hotch would be wary because of what happened between them.

She wasn’t a gossip or a tattletale. His secrets, such as they were, were safe with Emily. Just as she once thought that she was safe with him. His reaction now broke her heart. He had proven himself to be just like everyone else. She would keep those thoughts and feelings to herself.

Walking back over to the couch, Emily picked up her box and headed to the door. She left the office, walked a few steps, and then came back. Hotch had already settled into his chair. He’d pulled her file over to him.

“I see the name stuck.”

“I'm sorry?” Hotch looked up at her.

“The name stuck…Hotch.”

“Yeah.” his tone softened, memories flooding back of their first meeting so many years ago. Emily created Hotch and he paid her back for that with his atrocious behavior. Still, he wouldn’t feel better until he knew what was going on. Aaron Hotchner never liked surprises. Perhaps someone else knew of their past and was preparing to use it against them all. “It followed me around like…”

“The clap.” Emily replied.

“That wouldn’t have been the words I chose.”

“Well I still like it. At least I won't have to think of something else to call you.”

“I’ll be calling you Prentiss, by the way, if you stay in the BAU.”

“Using last names keeps a safe emotional distance from the person you're communicating with.” She said.

“We also don’t profile each other.” Hotch replied.

“We profiled each other a long time ago.”

“I hope you don’t feel the need to bring that up in mixed company.” He said in a cold tone, going back to the file in front of him.

She made a noise with her tongue and it wasn’t pleasant. If he wasn’t her boss, Emily may have given him a piece of her mind and then decked him.

“Goodnight, sir.”

“You don’t have to…”

“You want to keep it formal? No problem.”

Holding her box against her chest, Emily turned and walked out of the room. When he knew she was gone, Hotch groaned and laid his forehead on his desk. This was not good…this was bad…this was bad on so many levels. How could this even be happening? For years Hotch wondered if he would ever see Emily Prentiss again.

He wondered how she would look, what she would say, and where they would run into each other. Coming into his office as the newest member of his team never entered his wildest imagination. Not that Hotch had such a wild imagination. Still he could imagine that this was going to be insane.

“Are you alright?” Jason tapped the door and walked into his office. “Are you ill?”

“Possibly.”

“What's wrong, Aaron?”

“Come in and close the door.”

Jason did as he asked. He sat down in the chair across from Hotch’s big boss desk. That had been Jason’s desk once but he passed the torch some years ago. He knew Hotch was ready and to be honest, Jason was never fond of being the boss. He wanted to teach, do field work, raise the up and coming.

He didn’t want to do paperwork, count erasers, and go to budget meetings. Hotch managed to perfectly balance family, field, and fiscal responsibility. As his good friend and mentor, Jason looked for cracks to help seal them before they burst. He’d hardly found any yet. He could never quite assure himself that that was a good thing.

“Emily Prentiss has papers, and according to them she is the newest member of the BAU.”

“Did you just say Emily Prentiss?” Jason asked. He couldn’t have said Emily Prentiss.

“She was here in my office before we left for St. Louis.” Hotch replied, picking up his head. “She was waiting for me when I came back.”

“I guess I didn’t pay much attention to her when you asked me if I approved a transfer. Emily Prentiss wants to join the BAU?”

“If her paperwork is to be believed,” Hotch pushed it toward him. “She already has. Why did you say it like that?”

“Say what like what?” Jason asked. He was turning pages in her personnel file. Over the past decade she’d done work in Cleveland, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and Indianapolis. She’d done some undercover work with White Collar Crime.

She’d done some gang intel and used her multiple foreign languages to break up prostitution rings and human trafficking. The Midwest certainly was not as squeaky clean as it used to be. It probably hadn't been since Charlie Starkweather. It looked as if Agent Emily Prentiss had seen every side of it.

“What do you know about Emily Prentiss, Jason?”

“I know she was one of the most gifted students I ever had the privilege of teaching. That was quite some time ago. But her personnel file speaks for itself. I have to say if it came across my desk she would be on a very short list to replace Elle.”

“Well it didn't come across your desk, or mine. This is…”

“I know.” The older profiler nodded. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Do you know her at all?”

“Prentiss?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“My first assignment out of the Academy was a security detail for Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss. As the newbie, I was put on daughter duty. I began in October and was formally transferred to the Seattle field office the following September. Emily headed off to Yale.”

“You knew her personally.” Jason said.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Hotch lied.

“You don’t have to say it.” He didn’t bother to add it was written all over Hotch’s face. That was a quagmire Jason didn’t want to step in. He was already dealing with his own issues about this. “We both know why she's here.”

“It’s really come to this?” Hotch asked.

“Apparently it has. You know Emily Prentiss…”

“I don’t know…”

“You knew Emily Prentiss.” Jason rephrased. “Do you think she would do it?”

They were both quiet for a while, seemingly in their own worlds and thoughts. Jason looked through more pages in her file. She had commendations and some good recommendations. There were also notes of her being slightly reckless and at times confrontational.

She would fit right in with their little group. Of course Hotch didn’t have to put her on their team. He was the boss…he could do what he wanted. Jason closed the file and handed it back.

“The Emily Prentiss I knew at 18 would say go to hell.” Hotch said. “I don’t really know the woman in that file. 18 year old Emily Prentiss said go to hell to almost everything and everyone.”

“25 year old Emily Prentiss was pretty much the same way. I'm sure she hasn’t been told of her true role here. There’s no point of showing all the cards when the game is just getting hot.”

“I don’t like this.” Hotch mumbled.

“There's nothing we can do now. She’s here and we go with the flow.”

“She said she always wanted to be in the BAU.”

“It’s a coveted position. She has the brains and the balls to run the Bureau one day if she wanted to.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“The shot clock is running now.” Jason stood from the chair. “We do what we always do, catch the bad guys. We keep an eye on Emily Prentiss and we focus on the next case.”

“Yeah.” Hotch nodded. “Are you heading home?”

“I have a few more things to finish here. It was a long trip and a long night. You need to get home to Haley and Jack.”

“Jack is asleep.”

“Does Haley still wait up for you?” Jason asked.

“No.”

Hotch said it quickly, curtly. Jason had no intention of pushing that subject right now either. He knew things were shaky in the Hotchner marriage. They would probably right themselves again. Anyone together as long as Aaron and Haley had been was bound to deal with their shares of peaks and waves. This job wasn’t easy on even the strongest relationship.

“Go home, Aaron.”

“Yeah. Goodnight, Jason.”

“Goodnight.”

He walked out of Hotch’s office and ran into Emily Prentiss coming out of his.

“Oh my God, I…” she was frozen for just a moment but recovered quickly. “I wanted to come and say hello but you weren't in there.”

“I’m right here.”

“It’s getting late so I should probably just go. Perhaps we can talk tomorrow, Agent Gideon.”

“If you have a few minutes, I can talk now. Come into my office.”

She seemed reluctant but followed him in. Jason closed the door and waved toward a chair. Emily sat down, smoothly out her slacks before crossing her legs.

“I wasn’t sure if we’d ever see each other again.” he sat behind his desk. “I never thought we’d see each other like this.”

“What does like this mean, sir?” Emily asked.

“Please don’t call me sir. My father was sir.”

“Apparently Agent Hotchner likes to keep it formal around here. Sir is how I would address a superior.”

“At ease, soldier. I'm not Agent Hotchner; Jason is fine. I’ll make sure not to call you Katya in the field.”

“I would appreciate it.” She tried but failed to hide the briefest hint of a smile. “Does Hotch know that we know each other?”

“He knows that I taught you in the Academy. I know that he protected you while on your mother’s detail.”

“It’s a small world as they say.”

“You knew both he and I were in the BAU. Your arrival here is a surprise to us.”

“So I hear. I didn’t use my mother or anyone else influential to get this job. That has never been the way I do things.”

“You don’t have to tell me that.” Jason replied.

“I thought I didn’t have to tell Agent Hotchner that but I was wrong.” Emily said.

Jason could hear the sadness in her voice though she did an excellent job of masking it. Did she have feelings for Hotch? Had she all those years ago when he worked for her mother? Digging into Emily Prentiss’s personal thoughts and personal life was a journey he didn’t have a map for. Jason wasn’t fond of getting lost in the reeds. That mutual history sounded like a minefield. He wondered what she would call theirs.

“You really think the BAU is the place for you?”

“Everyone who walks through the Academy doors wants the privilege of working under the great Jason Gideon.” She said. “I wanted to be the chosen this time. I applied before Agent Greenaway was chosen. I didn’t get the position. I can handle the position. You know I can handle anything you give me, Agent Gideon.”

Jason cleared his throat. He had no idea what that statement meant but he knew what went through his mind. He needed to stop those kinds of thoughts immediately. This situation was already sticky enough for everyone involved.

“I've always had confidence in you, Agent Prentiss.” he replied.

“I appreciate that. Just don’t judge me. I know you didn’t then but that was a long time ago. Time changes people; it’s surely not always for the better.”

“I don’t change.”

“Good.” She smiled, lowering her head a bit. Then she stood up from the chair. “I should go. I was waiting for the team to get back from St. Louis so I could talk to Agent Hotchner. I need to go home and get some sleep. I'm sure tomorrow is going to be a huge day.”

“I look forward to seeing you work.” Jason extended his hand, managing a smile when Emily shook it.

“Goodnight, Agent Gideon.”

“Goodnight, Kat…Agent Prentiss. Welcome to the BAU.”

She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as she left the room. Emily Prentiss knew she wanted to be in the BAU before she even realized she could get there. That New Year’s Eve that Hotch told her about it, told her about profiling, she knew there was finally something she could be good at. It had been a long time coming but she was finally there. No one was going to ruin it for her, least of all not the man who put the dream in her head in the first place. Hotch may have changed, but she had as well. If he wanted to play it that way then so be it.

Walking past his office once more, Emily looked at Hotch. He was busy going over paperwork. It was probably her personnel file and transfer papers. She couldn’t be bothered to think of it anymore. As she walked to the elevator, Emily thought about going home and taking a long bath.

The BAU and all that came with it was going to keep her very busy. This might be her last relaxing night for some time. She was ready, she’d been ready, and now it was time to begin again. Gideon, Hotch, and Prentiss…what a chapter in the memoir this would be.

***

  



End file.
